Aymeric Laporte could play for Spain at Euro 2020.
Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte is planning to switch his national team allegiance from France to Spain ahead of this summer’s European Championship, according to reports.
Spain’s national team manager Luis Enrique reportedly requested the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to inquire about the possibility of calling up Laporte to the team.
Aymeric Laporte.
Laporte was born in France and has gone on to represent the nation 51 times at the youth level. And while the 26-year-old has been called up to the senior French squad on several occasions, he has yet to make his debut for the side.
France head coach Didier Deschamps is blessed with talented centre-backs in his squad with the likes of Raphael Varane, Clement Lenglet, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe and Kurt Zouma all competing for limited spots.
While there is no doubting Laporte’s quality, the strength in depth of the Les Bleus team has made it hard for the defender to break into the side.
Laporte set for a switch to Spain.
Now, a report from Marca has claimed that the Man City star could represent La Roja at this summer’s Euros.
Laporte recently received Spanish citizenship which would allow him to play for Enrique’s side. In addition, his great-grandparents hailed from Spain’s Basque region which also makes him eligible to turn out for the nation.
Back in August 2016, then-Spain coach Julen Lopetegui had requested Laporte to initiate the process of switching allegiances to the 2010 Fifa World Cup winners.
However, that process was disrupted when he was called up by France in October 2016. But after failing to feature for the French team in over a year, Laporte restarted the process and was finally awarded Spanish citizenship on Tuesday.
Marca also claim that current boss Enrique had personally asked the Spanish FA to explore the possibility of snapping up Laporte for his side.
The same report also reveals that the Spanish FA are still awaiting confirmation from Fifa on the matter but it is thought to be “merely a formality” at this stage.
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